Today is a first for the Found at 40 podcast: it’s just Chrissi for a solo mini episode

But not to worry, next week we’ll be back to normally scheduled programming with guests! This week I’m sharing what’s been on my mind lately—the funny little midlife moments, the honest reflections, and the deeper themes I’m seeing emerge from the first stretch of this podcast. I talk about what listeners are telling me they want more of, a perspective shift I can’t stop thinking about, and a look back at where I was in 2016 compared to now. If you’re in a season of reassessing, feeling “in between,” or quietly craving more clarity and belonging, you’ll feel seen here.

(0:00) 💔 The lingering question of adulthood: “Why can’t I find my people?” and why it hits differently in midlife

(0:45) 🎙️ Why this is a solo mini episode and what’s been surfacing for me behind the scenes

(1:30) 🪞 A midlife mirror moment: “Is this just my face now?” and the humor + honesty of noticing change

(2:30) 🔋 The reality of doing this work solo and what sustainability actually looks like right now

(3:20) 📈 What’s surprised me most from listeners so far and the themes people are craving

(4:10) 🧩 Friendship, inclusion, and belonging — and why midlife changes how these experiences land

(6:45) ⚡ A perspective shift I can’t stop thinking about: why forced inclusion doesn’t create real belonging

(10:00) 🎭 The importance of messy, human stories — the ones that make us laugh because they’re true

(12:30) 📸 Looking back at 2016 vs now: what that season taught me, what’s changed, and what no longer fits

(18:00) 🤍 Closing reflections on midlife as a reassessment — not a crisis — and letting this season unfold without rushing clarity

Here is the link to the Dear Nina episode I mentioned: Listen more here

✨ Hit follow, send this episode to your group chat, and leave a glowing review

📱 Check out @foundat40podcast on Instagram for extras, outtakes, and mild oversharing

🎙️ Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Foundat40

Keywords:

midlife transition, midlife reassessment, women over 40, identity shifts in midlife, feeling in between seasons, belonging vs inclusion, loneliness in midlife, adult friendship changes, personal growth after 40, midlife reflection, life reassessment, motherhood and identity, navigating change in midlife, emotional shifts after 40, finding clarity in midlife

Midlife marriage isn’t broken—it’s being asked to evolve. In this honest, funny, and deeply relatable conversation, Chrissi and her guest Heather Adams talk about what happens when long-term love collides with kids, aging parents, health scares, and the quiet realization that marriage can’t run on autopilot anymore. They explore why the middle years can actually become the richest season of a relationship, and how intentional habits, better communication, and shared vision can transform even the busiest, messiest stage of life. If you’re navigating marriage in your 40s or 50s and craving deeper connection, this episode will leave you feeling hopeful, seen, and inspired.

(0:00) 💬 Why midlife marriage feels different—and why that shift can be a gift, not a problem

(4:00) 🏖️ A chance meeting, a big move, and the unexpected beginnings of a long-term love story

(8:00) 🧠 The unspoken stories couples carry—and how assumptions quietly create distance

(11:00) ❤️ Why emotional and physical intimacy can actually get better with time

(14:00) 🔄 What it means to grow into yourself—and how that changes your marriage

(16:00) 🫀 A health crisis that redefined priorities, presence, and partnership

(19:00) 📅 The weekly ritual that protects connection when life is full and chaotic

(23:00) 🏡 Why so many couples drift into roommate mode after kids—and how to avoid it

(27:00) 🌅 Turning the empty-nest transition into an opportunity instead of a crisis

(31:00) 🎯 Dreaming about the next 20 years and creating a shared vision for your marriage

(35:00) 🤝 How surrounding yourself with strong marriages shapes your own relationship

(41:00) 🧓 Navigating aging parents, caregiving, and the emotional weight of midlife together

(45:00) 🫶 Brené Brown’s powerful reminder about unequal seasons and why marriage is never 50/50

(48:00) 📺 What This Is Us teaches about supporting your partner instead of trying to fix them

(51:00) 🗣️ The four simple questions that help couples stay connected and avoid resentment

(55:00) 🌿 Breaking old family patterns and choosing a healthier, more intentional future together

(57:00) ✨ Why long-term love isn’t about perfection—but about grace, effort, and choosing each other

✨ Hit follow, send this episode to your group chat, and leave a glowing review

📱 Check out @foundat40podcast on Instagram for extras, outtakes, and mild oversharing

🎙️ Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Foundat40

Keywords: midlife marriage, long-term marriage advice, marriage after kids, reconnecting with your spouse, how to strengthen your marriage, marriage in your 40s and 50s, emotional intimacy in marriage, staying connected in a busy life, intentional marriage, communication in long-term relationships, marriage during midlife transitions, how to avoid growing apart, rebuilding connection with your partner, balancing family and marriage, thriving in midlife relationships

Have you ever looked at your life and thought, I did everything I was supposed to do… so why doesn’t this feel better?

In this episode, I’m joined by writer and cultural voice Amil Niazi for a candid, relatable conversation about her new memoir “Life Beyond Ambition” (out January 6!) and dive into not just ambition, but burnout and the moment you realize that chasing “success” doesn’t always deliver the fulfillment it promised. We dig into what happens when the timelines, expectations, and definitions of achievement we grew up with start to crack — and how freeing it can be when they do.

✨ (0:00) — Why feeling “behind in life” is so common (and so rarely talked about)

📖 (4:30) — A look at Amil’s early life and how ambition became a survival strategy

🏃‍♀️ (8:30) — Hustle culture, scrappy early jobs, and saying yes to everything just to get ahead

🧠 (13:00) — The myth of meritocracy and why “working harder” doesn’t level the playing field

⏳ (17:00) — The millennial career crisis and realizing the playbook we were sold no longer works

🔥 (21:30) — Burnout, box-checking, and why success doesn’t feel the way we expected it to

🧩 (25:30) — Letting go of exceptionalism and questioning why “average” feels like a failure

👩‍👧 (29:30) — Motherhood, ambition, and the impossible standard of doing everything perfectly

🌍 (33:30) — Pandemic life, shrinking worlds, and the unexpected freedom of “only enough”

💭 (36:30) — Redefining ambition, identity, and self-worth beyond productivity

🛋️ (38:30) — What rest really looks like in midlife (and why modeling it matters)

🌱 (41:00) — Life after ambition: choosing contentment, presence, and a different definition of success

___________________________

🪩 Find Amil on Instagram at @amilniazi and order your own copy of Life After Ambition here

🥽 Dive into the Millennial Career Crisis discussion on Instagram: @janelabrahami

✨ Hit follow, send this episode to your group chat, and leave a glowing review

📱 Check out @foundat40podcast on Instagram for extras, outtakes, and mild oversharing

🎙️ Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Foundat40

_____________________

keywords: midlife reinvention, millennial burnout, life after ambition, redefining success, hustle culture recovery, burnout and motherhood, working mom identity, letting go of exceptionalism, the millennial career crisis, ambition vs fulfillment, productivity and self-worth, midlife identity shift, redefining ambition in midlife, choosing “good enough,” contentment over achievement